Working Lands for Wildlife is a partnership between NRCS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to use agency technical expertise and financial assistance to combat the decline of seven specific wildlife species whose decline can be reversed and will benefit other species with similar habitat needs. Nearly two thirds of all species federally listed as threatened or endangered exist on private lands. Conservation efforts on these lands generate outdoor recreation and economic activity that result in sustained growth for local communities and landowners.

The seven species identified during a collaborative process with partners include:

Through Working Lands for Wildlife landowners can voluntarily participate in an incentive-based efforts to:

Restore populations of declining wildlife species.

Provide farmers, ranchers, and forest managers with regulatory certainty that conservation investments they make today help sustain their operations over the long term.

Strengthen and sustain rural economies by restoring and protecting the productive capacity of working lands

Interested landowners should contact their local NRCS office. An NRCS planner will determine if habitat on the property is suitable, can be improved, or created to benefit the species. If so, the NRCS planner and the landowner will jointly develop a conservation plan, which will recommend a combination of practices and associated conservation measures that the landowner will apply to create or improve the habitat for the species.